There is an ongoing discussion on the level of professionalism and competency of male nurses as to female nurses. Although some may argue that male nurses are very skilled, others disagree.
Dating back to the 19th century, nursing was a profession widely dominated by women, as the famous Florence nightingale is known as the mother of nursing. But in the background, male nurses were present and vital in delivering care.
One of the most well-known male nurses was Florence Nightingale’s contemporary, William Rathbone. He was a British philanthropist who supported Nightingale’s efforts during the Crimean War and went on to help establish district nursing in the UK.
Over time, men’s involvement in nursing has grown, displacing the notion that its a woman’s profession.
Competency of Male Nurses as to Female Nurses
There is an ongoing discussion on the level of professionalism and competency of male nurses over female nurses. Although some may argue that male nurses are very skilled, others disagree.
For this piece, we interviewed a number of people who have gotten healthcare services from male nurses about their experiences and their satisfaction with the quality of care they received. The following points are areas pointed out:.
Meeting emotional needs
Holistic care involves the mind and the body, and being able to meet a patient’s emotional needs as well as physical is important. The majority of the patients agree that their emotional needs were met by the male nurse and they feel safer and reassured by him.
It’s assumed that men lack the empathic gene and aren’t capable of showing emotions, but this shows the kind nature of male nurses and their ability to provide emotional care for their patients. empathy is one of the qualities of a good nurse.
Sticking to the professional code of conduct
Maintaining professionalism as a nurse is key to better patient outcomes and delivery of care. The code of conduct is the principles and protocols that guide nursing practices. Autonomy, non-maleficence, justice, veracity, beneficence, fidelity – these are core principles of nursing that every nurse follows, as for female nurses, male nurses are also expected to go by these principles. A few stated that the male nurse is quite illiberal in planning his care compared to a female nurse who will let the patient be involved in the planning process.
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When it comes to maintaining a high level of professionalism, male nurses do not let the wagon break, they sustain good conduct and exhibit good character, delivering quality patient-centered care.
Delivering quality care
The ability to deliver quality patient-centered care entails meeting every dimension of wellness, such as emotional, mental, intellectual, s,and physical needs. The data shows that the male nurse was able to deliver such care that met the patient’s need , they also noted the kind nature of the nurse which wasn’t expected. the patients felt satisfied with the level of care they received. Patient satisfaction is a goal in nursing, and having to meet the client’s needs is important, male nurses are not lacking in this aspect, some say they even deliver more quality care than female nurses.
Engaging in some nursing activities
Some nursing responsibilities might seem rather uncomfortable for the nurse and mostly the patient, duties such as delivering a bedpan, inserting a catheter, prostrate screening, and cervical screening amongst others usually create a room of awkwardness, where the patient feels embarrassed and the nurse has to reassure the patient.
The patients agreed to feel some kind of way under those procedures, even tho consent had been granted, but the male nurse still reassured them and made sure they were comfortable throughout, this shows a good level of professionalism and compassion as a nurse.
While some mentioned that most male nurses are quite reluctant when providing care such as serving bed-pans, and when cleaning the patient up would put up an unpleasing countenance, this is seen as these procedures are rather quite demeaning to the ego of the man. The majority of male nurses favor other specialties -especially peri-operative and orthopedics than medical-surgical nursing (bedside nursing) because their responsibilities match their capabilities.
The bottom line
It’s important to note that the vast majority of healthcare providers, including male nurses, strive to provide the best possible care to their patients and work hard to prevent incidents of negligence. Like any profession, nursing has a code of ethics and standards of practice that all nurses, regardless of gender, are expected to adhere to.
